In the first pick of the Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn New York Jets era, they selected Armand Membou. The three year starting Right Tackle out of Missouri went seventh overall, and should plug right into the starting Right Tackle spot for the Jets.
This was the favored pick, the one most expected by experts, and my prediction as well. This was the simple boring but right pick for New York. They do need skill players but that is a need you can fill later in the draft. Securing your offensive line in round one was the right move.
Membou joins a young talented offensive line that the Jets have established here. This New York squad has real potential to be not only good but one of the best lines in the league.
Their line consists of Olu Fashanu, John Simpson, Joe Tippman, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and now Armand Membou. Membou is now the fourth offensive lineman drafted in the first round by the Jets since 2020. The Jets potential starting offensive line doesn’t have a player older than 27 so this should be one of the younger cores in the league. With a lot of potential to be a dominating force next season.
That’s what makes this pick good for New York because that is exactly what they want. They want to have a dominant, tough offensive line that just pushes teams around. They want to be able to run the ball all over teams with their backfield in Breece Hall, and Braelon Allen. Also of course with their quarterback Justin Fields who is one of the better rushing quarterbacks in this league.
Drafting Membou gives them a complete line, and the chance to be one of the more dynamic rushing teams in the league. If the Jets can run the ball at a high level that will make Fields’ job that much easier. If you can run the ball efficiently, that will open up the play-action and give Fields an easier team to make reads to push the ball down the field with his arm.
If Membou works out for New York, the Jets potentially have their left and right tackle in place for the next decade which is huge considering those are the most important pieces of your offensive line.
To me this was as simple as it gets but it was the right decision. As we go into day two there are still plenty of pass catchers out there. It’s way more important to lock down your starting offensive line. The key to success is to build from the trenches, and the Jets are doing just that. This is a very strong offensive line now matched with a strong defensive line.
Both sides of the ball in the trenches the Jets are tough, and that is the key to having a successful roster. The defensive line does need some retooling especially in its interior but that is something the Jets can address in round three or in day three.
Draft Grade: A
Now that their offensive line is taken care of, It’s time for the Jets to get a playmaker in round two. This is a big must for New York, they need another guy that Fields can rely on. There are a bunch of good names out there for the Jets to go get.
You have Tight End Mason Taylor out of LSU, and then a good amount of Wide Receivers available. Guys like Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Luther Burden, Jack Bech, and Tre Harris.
I personally like Burden out of Missouri if the Jets could trade up for him or if he somehow falls to them. Burden can be a dynamic player out of the slot for New York who has a lot of raw talent, and potential. Burden was seen as one of the top prospects in the class before last season but just fell off a little bit. I still think the high production talent is still there and would be a huge splash value pick for New York.
If Burden is gone, I think the pick should be Taylor then. The Wide Receiver depth in this class is a lot larger than the Tight End position. For that reason, I would prioritize getting Taylor over any of the guys not named Burden. You can always pick up a sleeper Wide Receiver in the later rounds whereas Tight End is less likely. Plus, besides being a good route runner, Taylor is a solid blocking Tight End which would only help the Jets running game even more.
Regardless of what the Jets do on day two, they need playmakers, and then on the defensive side they need depth pieces. They need depth at Defensive Tackle, Linebacker and Defensive backs.
The Jets could always potentially make a play at quarterback as well but my hope is that they stay away from adding to the quarterback room until day three. New York are set to have two picks on day two with one in the second, and the other in the third round.
